Locking mechanism



June 8, 1954 s. A. HOOKER LOCKING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1l Filed April 28, 1952 IN VENTOR Samuel Arthur Hooker BY M ATTORNEYS June 8, 1954 s. A. HOOKER. 2,680,664 LOCKING MECHANISM Filed April 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

g Samuel Arthur Hooker N w www ATTORNEYS Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED-*STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING p MECHANISM Samuel Arthur Hooker, Martinsville, Va. Application April 28, 1952, Serial No. 284,733 Claims. (Cl. S12-218) Generically, this invention relates to locks but it is more particularly directed to a locking mechanism for selectively locking the drawers of furniture, cabinets, desks and the like.

In connection with furniture such as bureaus, cabinets and the like, the drawers of which are not provided with locks or means for preventing their being readily opened, a problem has ever been present by reason of the investigative instincts of small children for opening drawers and scattering the contents, and, therefore, one of the principal objects of this invention is the provision of a drawer locking means out of the childrens reach, located adjacent to the top side, or preferably the back of the cabinet, which means may be operable by control lever means, locked by a gravity drop member or a key operated lock mechanism and the like.` Another important object of this invention is the provision of means for locking desks or any article of furniture that has one or more sets of drawers and including cooperating means in connection with the respective drawers, operable to render any selected one or more of the drawers nonlockable by the locking means, as desired.

In connection with bedroom furniture as now manufactured it is provided with no means for simultaneously locking all of the drawers and for selectively rendering nonlockable any one of the drawers, which, for instance, may contain cosmetics and the like, subject to frequent use, and of maintaining one of the drawers containing, for instance, jewelry and the like, locked irrespective of the opening and closing of the other drawers, and, therefore, an important object of this invention is the provision of locking means adapted to coact with latch means carried by each of the drawers, each of said means being operable-to locking and unlocking positions with respect to said locking means so that a selected drawer may be lockable `by said locking means or nonlockable thereby as desired.

A still further important object of this invention is the provision of a locking mechanism for desks and the like, controlled from a single point for locking opposite sets of drawers, said mechanism including coacting means carried by the respective drawers selectively operable to locking and nonlocking positions with respect to said locking mechanism, said mechanism being lockable by a combination lock and adapted to selectively permit all of the drawers to be freely openable and closeable and at the same time to effect positive locking of one or more of the drawers, thereby especially adapted' in cases where secret or highly important documents are being worked on, and where the party handling such documents, when leaving the desk for any purpose, is required to place the documents in a safe or vault under locked conditions, and time and trouble would be obviated by simply placing them in the drawer fastened by the combination lock.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cabinet or the like, with the panel removed, showing my improved locking mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a cabinet or the like with the back panel removed.

Fig. 3 is a modified form of the device and is a fragmentary rear view of a desk-showing my improved drawer locking mechanism with the back panels removed. Y

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective detail view of my improved drawer locking means.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end view showing a modification of an outside latch locking means.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary end view of a further modification using a key lock.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side view of Fig. '7.

In the illustrative embodiment characterizing this invention there is shown a cabinet A, comprising top frame member I, lower frame or bottom 2, side members 3, one removed (Fig. 1) and solid partition members i and 5, defining, with members I and 2, drawer receiving spaces 5, a detachable rear panel 1, and top 8. Mounted on the bottom at opposite sides of the drawer receiving spaces 6 are the drawer supporting runners 9, and insertable in each of the spaces 6 is a conventional drawer B, having a front panel II) of a larger area than the cross-sectional area of the drawer, adapted to seat against the ends of members 9, which latter form stops adapted to limit the movement of the drawer in insertable direction and each of said drawers having a rear end member I I, the side members 3 (Fig. 2) terminating at their lower ends in supporting legs I2 to support the cabinet spaced from the floor, or, if desired, said sides may terminate at the bottom, or frame member 2.

Adjacent to the rear panel 1 (Fig. 1) is mounted in slots I3, in frame members I and 2 and partitions 4 and 5 for vertical reciprocatory movement a locking bar member i4, formed with a cut-out, laterally bent locking catch portion i5. Suitably secured to the undersurface of frame member l, is a depending mounting Vbracket i6, on pin Il of which is mounted control lever bar i8, the inner end of which extends through locking bar i4, as at i8 (Fig. 2), rear panel being removed, and the other end of said control lever extends through side 3 and is shown in full lines in unlocking position and in dotted lines, in locking position. Mounted in the wall 3, in the present instance, is a combination lock C, shown with its control arm engaging member IB in dotted outline in unlocked position (Figs. l, 2 and 3). It will be apparent that (Figs. l and 2) manual downward movement of the free end of control lever bar i8 effects upward movement of locking bar I4 in locking direction.

ln the rear end of each drawer B, so as to engage over a respective locking catch portion I5 of locking bar Ul, is rotatably mounted a latch member 2l. When said bar is in locking position so as to prevent opening of the drawer, said latch member 2l, in the present instance, cornprises a rod body portion 22 having its ends bent at right angles to said body into parallelism, the end 23 within the drawer forming an operating handle and the end 24 extending beyond the rear end Il and adapted, when the locking bar I4 is in elevated or locking position, to be in horizontal superimposed relation with the catch portion E5 of the locking bar Ill, and said end 24, when extending downwardly as shown at 25, engages over said catch t eiectively lock the drawer B against being withdrawn in opening direction from the cabinet. lit will therefore be apparent that the catch 2i may be set in either non-locking position as shown in Fig. 4, with the end 23 in horizontal position, or by turning the handle 23 to depending vertical position, which is locking position, as shown in dotted outline, or as shown in Fig. 2. It will therefore be apparent that the position of handle 23 determines the locking or non-locking position of the locking end portion f 24. It is therefore evident when the locking bar I4 is in raised or locking position (Fig. 4) that the drawer i l may be freely opened or closed irrespective of whether the bar lll is in locking or non-locking position, but, when operating f.

portion 23 is in depending vertical position, the complemental portion 424 will coact with catch portion l and lock the drawer against being moved in opening direction and maintain it locked.

It will be noted in Figs. 1 and 2 that the latch 2l on the middle drawer is in unlocking position so that the locking O the drawer is unaffected by actuation of the locking bar I4. and that the latches of the remaining drawers are in position to lockingly engage the catches l5 upon actuation of locking bar I4 to simultaneously lock said drawers.

In connection with low priced furniture where the absolute locking of the drawers is not desired, but only to maintain the drawers in locking position from interference by small children, a simplied locking mechanism may be employed, as shown in Fig. 5, whereby the locking mechanism comprises a gravity or drop-block 26, rotatably mounted on the bolt 2T, extending through the side 3, end shown in locking position, all thats necessary to effect locking of the drawers as shown in Fig. 2, if desired, is to depress control lever I8, whereupon the block 26 CII will enga-ge over the surface and maintain the drawers locked and may be released by pushing it aside from its locking position, permitting arm le to return to elevated or drawer unlocking position. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the cabinet and a front view of Fig. 5 and the gravity lock-block 2S.

Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 5, showing the employment of a key lock 28, having a depending arm engaging member 29, engageable with the upper surface of control lever i 8 to effect positive locking of the drawers.

in Fig. 3 there is shown a rear fragmentary elevation of a desk with the rear panel removed and showing my improved locking mechanism for simultaneously locking dual sets of drawers which will be described as follows:

Said desk comprising end walls 3G and intermediateV walls 3l spaced from the end walls and interconnected by solid horizontal partitions 32 deiining drawer receiving spaces 33, said walls adapted to support a top 34, said walls underlying said top being secured to the end frame members 35 and to the intermediate frame member 36, and mounted on said partitions 32 on either side of the space 33 are the drawer runners 31 on. which are adapted to slide the respective drawers 38 similar to drawers B` heretofore described in connection with cabinet A. Spaced downwardly from intermediate member 36 is a frame member 3B dening with said member 36 and members 3l a center drawer space 40 in which is slidably received a conventional center drawer 4l.

This drawer locking mechanism is similar to that above described in connection with cabinet A, except modified to simultaneously effect locking of dual sets of drawers instead of a single set, and comprises a locking b ar member 42, similar to bar i4, and similarly formed with a catch member d3 Opposite the rear end 44 or" the respective drawers 3,8, said bar being mounted similar to bar I4, in, slots formed in members 32 and 35 for vertical reciprocatory movement without requiring fastening elements other than the rear panels corresponding to panel 1. suitably secured to the under surface of member 35 is a mounting bracket 46 on pin 41 of which, is mounted control lever bar 48 with its inner end extending through the end of locking bar 42 as at 49, its free end extending through end 30, and similar to like parts described in connection with cabinet A, and shown in unlocked position. Similarly bar 42 is mounted in slots 45 at the rear of the remaining set of drawers. A connecting control bar- 56 pivoted central of its length on pin 5l in bracket 52, similar to bracket iii heretofore described, and suitably secured to the under surface of member 36, said rod extending through the walls 3l with one end extending through the bracket 42 at its free end and its other end extending through bar 42 as at. 53. Mountedin the rear ends of the respective drawers 38 of each set are the latch members 54 for coaction with catches 4 3, similar to latch 2l and catch I5. This mechanism is shown in unlocked position (Fig. 3) and to effect simultaneous locking of the respective sets of drawers it is only necessary to depress the free end of control lever bar 48 which raises the opposite end of said bar and. moving the lock bar 42 in an upward direction for locking engagement with catches 54 of the drawer 38.. This movement raises the end of bar 50 about its pivot 5| and moves its free end downward lowering locking bar 42 of the opposite set of drawersinto locking engagement with latch members 54, so that the locking action is the same except, with respect to this set of drawers, the lock bar 45 moves downward in locking direction as the opposite bar 42 moves upward in locking direction. The latch members 54 are operable similar to latches 2i for eliminating a selected drawer or drawers from the locking action of the lock bar 42.

While the locking bar I4 is shown as mounted at the back of the cabinet centrally thereof, it can be mounted at any point intermediate the sides of the drawers, as desired. Also, the bar lock mechanism, while shown for purposes of description, at the side of the cabinet adjacent the top thereof, it may be located at the top or the back of the cabinet, as desired, and to position it at the back of the cabinet it is only necessary to form the control lever i8 with a right angle bend adjacent to the side so that its end will project through the rear panel l, instead of the side, for coaction with the lock mechanism for maintaining the said bar in downward locking position.

In addition to the manufacture of the furniture with the device installed, which is a simple and rinexpensive procedure, the device may be manufactured separately with equal facility as an attachment for furniture, cabinets, desks and the like already in use, said deviceis installable with slight modication to, and without marring the appearance of the articles, and substantially without nails or other fastening elements.

From the above it will be apparent that I have provided a multiple drawer locking mechanism comprising a locking bar movable with respect to a plurality of superimposed drawers, means for imparting movement to said bar, and a latching mechanism associated with each drawer and coacting with said bar when it is actuated, said latching mechanism including means for eliminating a selected drawer from the locking action of said bar, said locking mechanism being simple in construction, easily installable, manufacturable at a minimum of cost and eiiicient for the purposes intended.

Although in practice I have found that the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and referred to in the above description as preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that conditions concurrent with the adoption of my invention will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or sacricing any of the principles of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired protected by Letters Patent is as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cabinet having a frame structure defining drawer receiving spaces, drawers slidable in said spaces, each drawer including a back portion, of a locking bar movable with respect to said drawers and formed with a series of vertically spaced horizontal lips, a control means operable exterior of the cabinet for imparting vertical movement to the locking bar, a latching mechanism in connection with each drawer, each of said mechanisms coacting with one of the said lips on said locking bar and comprising a rod body portion extending through said back portion of the drawer, the ends of said body portion being bent to provide parallel extensions, atV right angles to said body portion, one beingexterior and the other interior of the drawer, said extensions being normally disposed in vertical locking position for engagement of the exterior extension with the lips when the locking rod isv vertically actuated by the interior extension, said extensions when in horizontal and non-locking position not being engageable with said lips allowing selective withdrawal of the drawers. l

2. The combination with a cabinet having upper and lower ends and side walls and having a series of superimposed slidable drawers, each including a back portion, of a locking bar movable with respect to said drawers, said bar being formed with a series of spaced horizontal lips, a control lever for imparting vertical movement to said locking bar, a hanger for the lever, said lever having one end in connection withthe locking bar and the other extending exterior of the cabinet and constituting an actuating means for the lever, a latching mechanism in connection with each drawer, each. of said mechanisms coacting with one of the lips on said locking bar and comprising a rotatable body portion extending through said back portion of the drawer, the said body portion having at its ends right angular parallel extensions, oneof said extensions being exterior of the drawer and constituting a latching extension and the other extension being interior of the drawer and constituting an operating handle and indicator, said extensions being normally disposed in vertical lip locking position and when in horizontal non-locking position there being no locking engagement with the lips to prevent selective withdrawal of the drawers.

3. In a structure of the type embodying a plurality of superimposed slidable drawers, each including a back portion, a mechanism operable interiorly of the respective drawers to lock the latter while permitting withdrawal of the re.. maining drawers, said mechanism comprising a slidably mounted locking bar, means located exteriorly of the structure and connected with the locking bar for imparting sliding movement thereto, a plurality of lips extending laterally from the bar and disposed in vertically spaced relation therealong, each of said lips coacting with a rotatable detent carried by each of the drawers, said detent comprising a rod body portion extending through said back portion, the ends of said body portionbeing bent to provide parallel extensions, one exterior and the other interior of each drawer, said extensions being normally disposed in vertical locking position for engagement with the lips when the locking rod is vertically actuated, said extensions when in horizontal position being inactive with respect to said lips to permit selective withdrawal of the drawers.

4. The combination with a desk, cabinet and the like embodying a dual series of superimposed drawers, each drawer including a back portion, of a locking bar movable with respect to each series of drawers, each locking bar being formed with a series of spaced horizontal lips, means for imparting simultaneous movement to said locking bars, said means including a pivotally mounted control lever bar having each end operatively connected with one of the locking bars of the dual series, a pivotally mounted lever section having one end connected to one of the locking bars, its other end extending exteriorly of the desk and constituting an operating means to effect actuation of the repective locking bars to simultaneously lock the drawers of the respective series, a latching mechanism in connection with each drawer of the series, each of the respective mechanisms comprising a rotatable rod body portion extending through the said back portion of the drawer, the ends of said body portion being bent to provide parallel extensions, one being exterior and the other one interior of the drawer, said extensions being normally disposed in Vertical locking position for engagement of the eX- terior extension with a respective lip and when the extensions are in horizontal aligned position there is no locking engagement with the lips and selective withdrawal of the drawers is effected.

5. The combination with a desk, cabinet and the like embodying a dual series of superimposed drawers, each drawer including a back portion,

of a looking bar movable with respect to each series of drawers, each locking bar being formed with a series of spaced horizontal lips, means for imparting simultaneous movement to said locking bars, said means including a pivotally mounted control lever bar having each end eX- tending through a locking bar of the dual series, a pivotally mounted lever section having one end extending through one of the locking bars, its other end extending exteriorly of the desk and constituting an operating means to effect actuation of the respective locking bars to simul; taneously lock the drawers of the respective series, a latching mechanism in connection with each drawer of the respective series, each of the respective latching mechanisms comprising a rotatable body portion extending through the said back portion of the drawer, said body portion having at its ends right angular parallel extensions, one being exterior and a latching extension and the other one interior of the drawer and constituting an operating handle and indicator, said extensions being normally disposed in vertical locking position for engagement of the exterior extension with a respective lip, and when the extensions are in horizontal aligned position there is no locking engagement with the lips and selective withdrawal of the drawers is effected, and means for locking the control lever section in drawer locking position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 885,789 Ripson et al Apr. 28, 1908 950,813 Bodenstein Mar. 1, 1910 1,063,844 Swanson June 3, 1913 1,506,699 Watson Aug. 6, 1924 1,681,383 Walsh Aug. 21, 1928 1,713,890 Clark May 2l, 1929 

